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June 5, 1956 e. c. CHASE 2,749,042

REGISTERING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 15, 1951 FIG. I

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AT ORNEV United States Patent 9 REGISTERING MECHANISM George C. Chase, South Orange, N. J assignor to Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Orange, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application October 13, 1951, Serial No. 251,174

2 Claims. (Cl. 235-136) The invention relates to registers having a tens transfer mechanism of the crawl type, or what more properly may be called a variable speed crawl tens transfer, as distinguished from what is known in the art as either the regular or uniform crawl tens transfer or the jump type wherein the transfer to a higher order wheel occurs upon movement of the next lower order wheel from O to 9 or from 9 to 0. More particularly, the invention provides a variable speed crawl mechanism in which the movement of the higher order wheel is greatest at the time a transfer should normally occur, and has a maximum speed in fixed relation to the figures on the next lower order wheel and so may invariably coincide with the one step figure movement of the lower wheel from 9 to or from O to 9.

In registers having a real crawl tens transfer mecha-' nism, the continuously engaged transfer gearing between the register wheels operates to effect tens transfer from wheel to wheel continuously throughout a complete revolution of each wheel. Such registers are therefore adapted for a much higher speed of operation than is practical with registers having intermittently driven tens transfer mechanism of the jump type. On the other hand, uniform crawl has an inherent disadvantage in that the higher order wheel receives only of a figure of transfer movement as the next lower order wheel moves from 9 to O or 0 to 9. Furthermore, this movement is made at a relatively low velocity, resulting in possible failure to impart a definitive movement to an associated signal responsive device.

Calculating mechanisms having crawl type transfer are usually equipped with means for sequentially aligning the numeral wheels to reading position. If, for example, all of the register wheels stand at naught, and 1 is subtracted, all of the wheels must be brought to reading alignment at 9. After 1 is subtracted from zero value, the uniform speed crawl tens transfer moves the tens wheel to 9.9, the hundreds wheel to 9.99, etc. In the aligning action, the tens wheel must be moved .9 of a figure space, the hundreds wheel .99, etc.

Mechanisms have been devised for detecting whether a set of numeral wheels register a plus value, a zero value, or a minus value. Such sign-detecting mechanisms are usable for various purposes. They may serve to indicate the sign of the registration or to control some operation applied to the machine. Detecting the sign of the registration in numeral wheels, or sensing the register wheels as it is sometimes called, after alignment of the wheels is relatively simple but is more difiicult in a uniform crawl transfer without bringing the wheels to aligned position. Patent 2,106,273, issued to Howard M. Fleming, and Patent 2,339,616, issued to George C. Chase, disclose means for detecting the sign of registration in uniform speed crawl tens transfer wheels while said wheels are in their crawl reading positions. Furthermore, these patents show control devices for controlling division.

The present invention avoids the inherent disadvantages 'ice of registers having uniform crawl tens transfer mechanism by embodying variable speed crawl tens transfer which, aside from facilitating the movement of the numeral wheel to reading alignment by an augmented tens transfer movement as the lower wheel passes through a given registering position, also gives an increase in the movement available for signal detection. In other words, the arrangement is such that the transfer movement from the wheel is at a maximum at any desired time, such as when the wheel approaches or passes through zero position. Therefore, assuming that the maximum transfer is when the wheel passes through zero, if the next higher order wheel contains no value other than a fractional units value which has been transmitted thereto by the craw transfer, it will be moved through zero position at the maximum transfer speed, and a greater relative distance as the lower order wheel approaches and is moved from zero position. To accomplish the above, each wheel transfer mechanism is driven by the next lower order wheel through a pair of elliptic gears instead of by direct or circular gear connection with the lower order wheel as in prior art devices. The invention, however, will best be understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged side elevation of a plurality of the register wheels, with parts in section, embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged exploded perspective of one of the register wheels showing the devices of the invention connecting the adjacent order wheels.

The register Registers having various types of crawl tens transfer mechanisms are well known in the art and the invention is equally adaptable for operation in conjunction with any one of these well known types. For example, Avery Patent #2,222,164 is illustrative of the well known planetary type of crawl tens transfer mechanism and Gardner Patent #l,828,l is illustrative of the orbital or entocyclic type. The invention has been disclosed as operating in conjunction with the orbital type of crawl transfer mechanism disclosed in the Gardner patent.

The numeral wheels 1 are rotatably mounted on a shaft 2. concentrically arranged pins extending from the inner left side face of each wheel 1 comprise an internal gear 3 which is meshed with a floating gear 4. The floating gear 4 is mounted on an eccentric hub 5 mounted for rotation on shaft 2. Eccentric hub 5 has an integral concentric sleeve 6 extending toward the right and rotatably mounted on the sleeve is a pinion 7 having a coupling member 8 integral therewith. Coupling member 8 has lugs 8 extending toward the left from its periphery and engaging an equal number of tooth spaces of a complementary coupling member 15 integral with floating gear 4, thus constituting a 1 to 1 driving ratio coupling as shown in the above mentioned Gardner patent. The teeth of coupling member 15 are sufficiently spaced to allow eccentric movement of the floating gear without interference from the lugs of coupling member 8. Also, the arrangement is such that certain lugs of coupling member 8 are always in position to hold floating gear 4 in fixed rotative relation to pinion 7.

In the prior art devices as disclosed in the aforenoted Gardner patent, sleeve 6 of eccentric hub 5 extends to the right of pinion 7 and is fixed to the next lower order wheel 1. Therefore, eccentric hub 5 would be driven at a constant speed with the lower order wheel imparting a uniform speed tens transfer to the next higher order wheel. However, according to the present invention a circular gear 9 is fast on sleeve 6 to the right of pinion 7. Gear 9 is meshed with another circular gear 10 of the Patented June 5, 1956 same size mounted for rotation on a countershaft 11. Gear 10 has a sleeve extending toward the right and on the right end of the sleeve is an elliptic gear 12 which meshes with another elliptic gear 13 which is fixed for rotation with wheel 1 of the next lower order. As shown in the drawings, elliptic gear 13 is mounted on numeral wheel 1 so the maximum speed of tens transfer occurs as said numeral wheel passes through its position, but there may be instances in which it would be preferabl to secure this elliptic gear to the numeral wheel in a position to provide for the peak tens transfer spec-d at.

other points, such as midway between 9 and 0, or at 9.

Operation Upon rotation of pinion 7, by digital actuators (not shown) in accordance with values to be registered, coupling 8 through the teeth of complementary cou pling member 15 will rotate floating gear 4 upon eccentric hub as a bearing. The ratio between floating gear 4 and internal gear 3 with which it meshes is 9 to 10. Pinion 7 is rotated of a turn for each unit of registration; therefore, wheel 1 will be rotated of a turn by internal gear 3 for each unit registration. Elliptic gear 13 attached to wheel 1 will rotate eccentric hub 5 of the next higher order wheel through elliptic gear 12, gear 10, gear 9 and sleeve 6 attached to the hub thereby imparting an orbital movement to floating gear 4 mounted thereon. By reason of the 9 to 10 ratio between floating gear 4 and internal gear 3, the orbital movement of gear 4 will impart a camrning action to the teeth of the internal gear to advance the higher order wheel of a step for each complete rotation of the lower order wheel. However, this transfer movement will not be transmitted at a uniform rate, as in the prior art devices, because of the elliptic gearing in the train to the lower order wheel, but will be transmitted at a constantly increasing or decreasing rate between a minimum and maximum speed. The elliptic gears in the tens transfer train provide the desirable larger movement of the higher order wheel in response to the rotation of the lower order wheel through a selected portion of its tens transfer range, and at that time provide an augmented movement of the elliptic gear 12 and the circular gears 10 and 9. The augmented movement of any of these members is available to trip a suitable mechanism for detecting the sign of a value registered in the numeral wheels while said wheels are in operation.

As shown in the above mentioned Fleming and Chase patents, this detection of sign results from rotation of the numeral wheels, but it is possible that sign detection may he wanted while the numeral wheels are at rest in their crawl reading positions, sensing mechanism being provided for that purpose. In this case the greater movement provided by the elliptic gears has the same advantage as when the sign signal i derived from numeral wheel rotation, because the difference in the position of the parts for the respective signs is greater. For example, gear 13 may be so fixed with relation to its wheel 1 that as the wheel passes through zero position the maximum speed of tens transfer will be transmitted to the next higher order wheel. Therefore, if the next higher order wheel contains no value other than a fractional units value which has been transmitted thereto by the crawl transfer, it will be moved through zero position at the maximum transfer speed, and a greater relative distance as the lower order wheel approaches and is moved from Zero position. The ratio of the major to the minor axis of elliptic gears 12, 13, may be so proportioned as to effect the changes between minimum and maximum transfer speeds which is most suitable to effect the desired control operation.

Although elliptical gearing has been disclosed to effect the desired tens transfer characteristics, it will be obvions that mechanical equivalents to elliptic gearing also would be applicable. Also, it is contemplated that the devices of the invention may be used to facilitate the control of calculating machine operations other than the aforenoted division programs. The invention, therefore, is to be restricted only as necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a register, numeral wheels, differential drive gearing for each of said wheels operable to merge digital and tens transfer values, a digital input gear for driving each differential gearing, an eccentric hub for driving each diiferential gearing, a drive train for each eccentric hub including a pair of continuously engaged elliptic gears, and a fixed driving attachment between one each of said gears and the next lower order numeral wheel.

2. in a register, numeral wheels, differential drive gearing for each of said wheels operable to merge digital and tens transfer values, a digital input gear for driving each differential gearing, an eccentric hub for driving each differential gearing, and a drive train for each eccentric hub driven by the next lower order wheel for driving the associated hub continuously throughout a complete revolution of said wheel at a speed which is variable with relation to the speed thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,618,140 Seward Feb. 15, 1927 1,867,002 Gardner July 12, 1932 1,964,314 Chase June 26, 1934 2,456,101 Yeasting Dec. 14, 1948 2,503,332 Grip Apr. 11, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 269,547 Switzerland Oct. 16, 1950 967,584 France Mar. 29, 1950 OTHER REFERENCES Figure 948 on page 241 of Mechanical Movements, by G. D. Hiscox, published by Norman W. Henley & Co., 132 Nassau Street, New York, N. Y. in 1901. 

